Ice Equals Water
by Trilies
Summary: Demyx wants some quality time with his favorite grouchy scientist, who has quite a few reserves about this. Good thing Demyx can shamelessly plead and blackmail like the best of them.


**Title**: Ice Equals Water  
**Author:** Trilies  
**Genre:** Romance, Humor  
**Word length**: 3303  
**Sypnosis:** Demyx wants some quality time with his favorite grouchy scientist, who has quite a few reserves about this. Good thing Demyx can shamelessly plead and blackmail like the best of them.  
**Yaoi/Yuri/Pairings:** Vexen/Demyx, hinted Larxene/Axel/Marluxia  
**Notes**: There needs to be more of this pairing, partially because it's amusing. Slight sequel to a livejournal fic 'Dem Endoskeleton' by at_splickenfic on LJ. Reading that will slightly help you understand the ending.

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"Don't even think about it, Demyx."

The hands which had been trying to slip around his stomach came to a pause. Fingertips linger at his zipper before disappointedly slinking away, and Vexen can only roll his eyes. Knowing Demyx as well as he does, he can just tell that the sudden silence is from him sulking. "Oh, don't give me that," Vexen sighs, pushing himself away from the microscope. Not even bothering to look behind him, he simply jots some notes down. Replica blood is showing no signs of abnormality...

"Well pardon me for trying to show affection," Demyx grumbles, crossing his arms. His mismatched eyes follow Vexen's back as the scientist continues to ignore him. That's the problem with him, it really is. Once Vexen gets into an experiment, it's like trying to get a turtle out of its shell. Annoying, difficult, just gets harder the more you tap, and fatal... Just not for the turtle. Demyx pauses that particular train of thought, blinking. Wait... Okay, so it's not a perfect metaphor. As he shakes himself out of his thoughts, he notices Vexen has moved on from his microscope and towards the large tube towards the back of the room.

Oh yeah, Demyx is familiar with the Replica Project. It's Vexen's latest scientific obsession. Reflecting on it with a scowl, he can't see what's so great about it. Fantastic, he's making life! Funny, people have been doing that the old fashioned way for ages, with no problem... Well, except for disorders. And miscarriages. And mutants. And the unimaginable pain of pushing out a baby through...

Okay, there are a lot of problems, but still!

That's when it hits him. It's a theory, and it's so totally probably WRONG, but that doesn't matter. In what he assumes to be proper villainous manner, Demyx smirks deviously and steeples his fingers together.

He'll either get frostbite, or get Vexen out of his labs.

Just like before, Demyx tries to hug Vexen from behind, and just like before, he gets a negative response. This time, however, Vexen uses a good smack instead of words. Not to be deterred, Demyx latches onto one of the attacking arms, and only grins when a pair of bright green eyes turn to glare at him. "You know what just occurred to me?"

"Wow and amaze me," Vexen deadpans.

"I think you want to be a mother."

Abrupt and complete silence. Demyx has to fight not to grin like an idiot as Vexen stares at him. Instead, he keeps on an expression of somber seriousness. "Look into your heart. You know it to be true." _That_ earns him a nice smack to the side of the head.

"Were you inhaling chemical fumes while I had my back turned!" Vexen snaps as Demyx lets go of his arm. "And haven't we gone over how your heart humor is not amusing?"

"Heart humor, nice name," he chirps in reply, finally laughing a little as Vexen's clipboard clips his elbow. "C'mon, it makes sense!" With a duck and a skip back, he avoids the next smack. "It's why you're crazy obsessed about this new project. I bet it's because you have some secret maternal instinct, all repressed and stuff." Still grinning widely, he pauses, bouncing from foot to foot as he gauges Vexen's response. "You'd make a great mom."

The most fun thing about Vexen is how unbelievably expressive he is, despite being so stubborn on how they don't have hearts. Right now, his brows are furrowed, and his mouth hangs open slightly. While Vexen claims to know him pretty damn well, it's not a one-way street. The scientist is _definitely_ thinking about how stupid he considers Demyx. At last, he places the tips of his fingers against his forehead. "You won't leave me alone, will you?"

"I bet I could get Zexion to totally back me up on this. He was a Psychology major, right?"

"Fine!" Vexen throws his hands up into the air, looking disgusted. "I'll leave the labs, since I know that's what you want. Just _never_ bring that ridiculous idea up ever again." An accusing finger jabs against Demyx's nose to drive the point home. The sitarist only grins.

The problem occurs when he let's Vexen pick their 'vacation spot'.

"Why did I let you choose?" Demyx whines through chattering teeth. Helplessly, he tries to tug his hood over his nearly blue ears. It's a rather fruitless tactic, and he quickly returns to rubbing his arms and hopping on his feet again.

Stupid Vexen just smirks at him. Stupid ice elemental guy. Stupid smug smirk as he stands on that stupid boulder in the stupid Land of Dragons with his stupid hands in his pockets so stupidly casually. Stupid _him_ in the first place for letting Vexen choose in the first place.

"You only have yourself to blame," Vexen snickers. He looks as happy as a penguin as he enjoys both the freezing cold and Demyx's obvious torment. (Stupid elemental advantages! ) "Now, cease your senseless complaints and stand next to me."

"How are they senseless?" Demyx grumbles, but obeys the order anyway. Vexen will be the one to complain this time if he doesn't anyway. Shaking terribly, he stumbles and slips through snow and over rocks before he can latch onto one of the Vexen's arms. Unlike last time, the scientist doesn't protests, even when Demyx begins to huddle against his side. "Did we have to come here so early? Before the sun's even gotten up?"

"Yes. Now shush and wait for it."

_Wait for what?_ Demyx wonders, but remains silent, sleepy, and cold. It's a pleasant surprise when Vexen's arm wraps tightly around his shoulders. That's not saying it helps much, but still. The thought is nice, and Demyx smiles a bit.

The smile falls right off his face when the sun begins to rise.

"Light above," he breathes as the sunlight catches the snow in ways he had never imagined. Colors shift across the waves and mountains of white, flickering in and out of place. The entire world seems to shimmer with a soft glow, and it takes Vexen's nudge to snap him out of it.

"So I take it this is just the sort of thing which falls into that 'romantic' category to like to blather on about?" Vexen prods.

The words bring a bright smile to Demyx's face and he lays the side of his face against Vexen's chest. "You could have just told me your plans. I wouldn't have complained a bit then."

"And miss your look of remembered and physical misery?" Vexen smirks, and draws his arm back from Demyx's shoulders. "Never." Looking back to the sunrise, he begins a leisurely stroll through the snow.

As he tries not to pout, an idea suddenly strikes Demyx. Once again smiling that wannabe-devious smile, he kneels down to the snow. Quickly, he scoops up a nice handful, all the while keeping an eye on Vexen's back. At last, he finishes. Straightening with a giant grin and a hefty snowball, Demyx calls, "Vexen!"

With an exasperated sigh tempered by suspicion, Vexen turns around. "What n-"

_SPLAT!_

The silence of the mountains is broken only by the sound of snow dripping from Vexen's face. It's a silence further ruined when Demyx begins to laugh. With an eyebrow twitching and eyes narrowed dangerously, Vexen gets rid of the snow with a single swipe of his hand. "Demyx," he growls. The sitarist just continues to laugh, doubled over with one hand over his stomach and the other over his mouth. "DEMYX!"

Stifling his giggles, Demyx looks up, still grinning. "Yeah?" Very, _very_ quickly, his amusement drains away as he spots the snow and ice swirling around Vexen's feet. Instantly, his face goes pale while his eyes go wide. "N-Now Vex, don't be hasty-"

"You didn't think this through, did you?" Vexen says in that low, icy tone he's infamous for. "Quite clearly, I hold the elemental advantage."

"Oh man," is all Demyx has time to say before Hell freezes over.

Throwing back his head in bliss, Demyx lets loose a shuddering gasp before moaning, low and hard. His fingers press and cling hard to white while he squeezes his eyes shut and his face heats up. "Oh man," he groans, legs bending as his body arches slightly, toes curling. "So _good_." The warmth flows throughout his entire body as he practically breathes the words. Opening his eyes halfway, Demyx gives another little moan as he looks up at Vexen.

"Vexen, your bath is the best one ever."

The scientist just rolls his eyes. "You and that bath," he snorts, meeting Demyx's upside down stare. The sitarist is lounging in the extravagantly large tub, arms stretched along the edge and his head rolled back. "You have your own, you know. Use that instead of invading mine."

"Yours was the closer one," Demyx grumbles back. "Maybe if you hadn't almost killed me with snowballs, I would have gone to mine instead of worrying about hypothermia."

"Stop being such a child."

"Besides, yours is bigger." Sitting up, Demyx stretches his arms over his head. "I have more room to be lazy. Now shush, you, and get in already."

Shaking his head with another eye roll to accompany it, Vexen nonetheless listens and slips out of his bath robe. As he inches into the hot water, Demyx watches from the corner of his eyes while he leans back again.

Most people get the mistaken impression that Vexen is some super twig-thin nerd and, well, maybe he is a little bit. Yet behind that large, oversized coat that he was too lazy to get fitted are some nice muscles. Sure, he's not on Lexaeus, Xaldin, or Xigbar's level, but he's still not too bad. He's not some loser geeky thing fiddling with delicate little vials. There's some heavy lifting to be done in the labs (not even talking about the gummi hanger! ), and everyone knows how Vexen is loathe to rely too much on anyone else, or let them in his labs. That means Demyx has some pretty good eye candy as Vexen finally sits down in the bath.

"Doesn't this feel better?" he points out, scooting closer to his lover so he can lay his head on Vexen's shoulder.

"No" is the blunt answer. It's an answer which makes Demyx scowl, and he straightens from his slouch. Pressing his hands against Vexen's chest, he pins the older man to the edge of the tub, although he admittedly doesn't meet much resistance.

"Oh, come on," he grumbles, frowning. "You can't like freezing to death that much." Even though he remembers how badly the last one panned out, an idea hits him, and Demyx grins while pressing more of his weight against Vexen's chest. "Hey, I bet I know a way to heat you up that you'll like..."

Even as Vexen raises an eyebrow, Demyx is already composing a song in his head. Summoning his sitar would be too troublesome, but he's got it covered. For the level of control he's using, he just needs himself.

After a few seconds, Vexen gives a sudden yelp, and practically shoots up straight. His legs try to squeeze shut, but that's something of a problem since Demyx is still, y'know, between them, and still lying lazily against Vexen. As Vexen glares down at him, his face becoming a very interesting shade of red, Demyx just wiggles his eyebrows with a teasing smile. "Demyx," Vexen hisses, only to give a small gasp. Underneath the water's surface, his legs give a small spasm and try in vain to close.

"Yes?" Demyx sings as one of his hands follows the dry bumps and curves of Vexen's chest and ribs down to the much wetter skin which stretches over his ribs. Then farther down to his hips where the water swirls...

"Quit that," Vexen snaps. He's wiggling, now, although whether it's from pleasure or the urge to punch Demyx is hard to tell. That's just how he is.

"Quit what?" Demyx hums, even as Vexen wiggles more. If this keeps up, Demyx has a feeling he's going to get kneed in the gut. "You mean my little water show? Well, no can do, Vexen. I mean, after all..." He leans closer, hoping to gain a kiss. "Quite clearly, I hold the elemental advantage."

Vexen's palm smacks into his nose so that the scientist can get a good grip on Demyx's face. (No kiss for him. Woe! ) "Idiot," Vexen snaps. By this point, Demyx is definitely expecting to be rejected, shoved away, or maybe even have his head smacked into porcelain. So it's definitely a nice surprise when instead, those fingers slip up his forehead and into his hair. Blinking, Demyx is only vaguely aware of his arm coming to a rest on his shoulder. All he's really aware of the flustered glare on Vexen's face. "But I expect a proper 'show' if you're going to be such a slave to hormones."

_It's not hormones_ Demyx wants to say, but he knows it's no use. So instead of ruining the moment, he just presses closer for the chaste kiss he'd been denied earlier. "I am a performer, you know," he murmurs against Vexen's lips. "Good shows are what I do."

"Aren't you glad I got you out of the lab now?" Demyx asks much later, smiling into the back of Vexen's coat as they walk down the hallway. As he had expected, one of the Vexen's trademark snorts greets him, but Demyx just grins some more. Nobody can get stubborn ol' Vexen to admit anything he doesn't want to. Good thing Demyx technically counts as 'nobody'. "C'mon, admit it. It was nice."

"Please keep your ridiculous delusions about the emotional state of Nobodies to yourself i you're going to cling to me like a leech and thus act as a physical handicap," Vexen huffs. Patience's rewards are sweet, however, and Demyx's smile becomes softer as his eyes close at the scientist's next words. "...But I suppose it was a pleasant day out."

The thing with loving Vexen is that he doesn't give back often, but when he does, there's always some serious weight behind it. One just has to know where to look: in the way he gently reaches back to run gloved fingers through Demyx's hair, in the way he twists back to lay a quick kiss on one of his eyelids. They're actions which are all awkward and quick, and they make Demyx smile. "Told you," he murmurs, slipping his hand into Vexen's and shifting so that he's walking besides him. "So what's on the Science Agenda today?" he asks, wanting to help out. It's not something he _needs_ to do, as if their relationship is some business deal or something. He just likes to help out sometimes.

...Besides, maybe it sounds nerdy, but Vexen is right; science is pretty interesting.

"Well, since _someone_ interrupted me yesterday-" Demyx laughs at the none too subtle jab. "I still have notes on the latest replica to finish. It'll be dull work," Vexen adds.

"I can be pretty patient when I want to be, remember?" Demyx tilts his head to the side with a smirk as Vexen reaches for the handle of the lab door. "Like the time when-"

The deafening screech of heavy metal drowns out anything he might have said, but Demyx isn't talking now anyway. With curses, both he and Vexen clap their hands over their ears and wince. Demyx has no idea what the frick is going on, but as he glances to Vexen, he instinctively shrinks back. Oh boy. Just... Uh oh. That is not a pleasant expression to see. While Demyx nervously stumbles back, Vexen slams the door shut with his foot.

_Who was insane enough to attach speakers to the WIP Replica?"_ Demyx mentally whines, shrinking further as Vexen turns that darkly pissed off face to him.

"Demyx," he hisses, fists clenched.

"Yes!" is the answering squeak.

Did you happen to see Xigbar before you invaded my lab?"

_...Of course._

Demyx facepalming is all the answer Vexen needs to begin a string of curses so vicious, they'd make Larxene's ears go red. Before Demyx can even say anything, the scientists disappears into his lab and slams the door shut. Looking like a kicked puppy in the rain, Demyx can only stand there for a moment, dejected.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad ,little dude."  
Stare.  
"I thought you _liked_ the guy."  
_Stare._  
"Besides, you're always pulling a Batman with everyone else, disappearing and reappearing..."  
_STARE._  
"...Okay, quit that, you're creepin' me out."

"What are you babbling about now, Xigbar?" Marluxia's voice drawls form a row of bookshelves within the Library. The pink-haired man peers out, a book in one hand and Larxene and Axel on the other side. They all look at least vaguely curious as they take in the sight: Xigbar cornered against one of the Library's tables by Zexion, whose arms are crossed. The latter is also wearing a wide-eyed, blank expression which comes off as rather... disconcerting.

Ignoring the slight jab in Marluxia's voice (something which is always subtly present, no matter how he's 'feeling' ), Xigbar rolls his eye. "Ah, nothin'. Zexion here is just pissy because I told a boyfriend of his how to get a hold of him. And now he won't quit with the creepy little kid act." Snorting, Xigbar jabs a finger towards Zexion. "Man, when you get pissed, you really don't let up."

_Staaaaaaaaare._

"I didn't even know Zexion had a boyfriend," Larxene hums, leaning lazily against Axel while entwining one of her arms around Marluxia's; with a simple tug, she has him pressed against her other side. "What other secrets are you keeping from us, hmm?" she asks with a smirk.

Never one to be rude and ignore a teammate, Zexion returns Larxene's smirk with one of his own. "If I told you them, they'd cease to be secrets, wouldn't they?" he points out smoothly.

"You're no fun," Larxene says with a deceiving pout. When Axel suddenly looks over to the side, an eyebrow quirked, Larxene follows his gaze to a portal opening not too far from the double doors of the Library.

The look on Demyx's face is out of place enough to draw everyone's attention. With his eyes narrowed into a sharp glare and a tight frown on his lips, he's the personification of 'foreboding'. In a worryingly calm way, and not at all in his usual cheerful and relaxed tone, Demyx asks, "What did you do to Vexen's lab, Xigbar?" Before an answer can be given, bubbles and water swirl around one of Demyx's hands, become a bright light, and solidify into his trademark sitar. "Because now he's _pissed off_. And since _I_ was the moron who listened to your stupid advice about how he was cooping up in his lab again, he's dubbed me as an accomplice!" _There's_ the old Demyx again as he practically begins to wail. "We were having a _good day_!

As Xigbar tries to calm down the distressed sitarist, Marluxia wrinkles his nose in distaste. "I honestly don't see what Demyx does in Vexen," he murmurs to his companions, to which Axel snickers.

"Who knows. Opposites attract?" the redhead suggests. A soft chuckle draws the trio's attention to Zexion, who has one arm crossed over his chest and his other hand posed by his chin.

"You really have no idea?" he says softly, almost to himself. With a smirk, he shakes his head. "And here I had been under the impression that it was fairly obvious."

Before anyone has a chance to interrogate him (a fruitless endeavor, as Zexion rarely reveals anything), there's a roar, akin to waves crashing against the shore. Looking distinctly amused, he returns his gaze to the scene at hand. The air is thick with moisture which settles on the back of his neck in scattered droplets but also swirls about the air in angry twists. In the middle of it all is Demyx, looking ready to either drown Xigbar or whack him hard with his sitar, tears of frustration welling up.

"And now it'll take ages for him to forgive me... Xigbar, you're a dead jerk!"

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**Author's Note: **

Thanks for reading!

Reviews and con-crit is always appreciated.


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